There could be some hard times ahead for space tourism entrepreneurs, according to experts at a recent symposium in Boston sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The experts – who included former astronaut Kathy Sullivan, Roald Sagdeev of the University of Maryland-College Park, and Buzz Aldrin’s son Alvin – questioned whether there are enough potential tourists to support the industry. Companies could hit a ceiling where […]

The Boston Globe has an interesting interview with Rosanna Sattler, the new chairwoman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Space Enteprise Council. Sattler, who heads the space law practice at the Boston firm Posternak Blankstein & Lund, discusses the complexities of the legal regime for space, including space diving and Virgin Galactic’s suborbital tourism plans.

Taylor Dinerman has an interesting op-ed over at The Space Review about Virgin Galactic’s efforts to sell themselves as a green company. Dinerman believes this is more marketing hype than reality at the moment, but that the long-term exploitation of space resources will be the key to solving many of Earth’s environmental problems and lifting billions out of poverty.

Scaled Composites could still face a criminal or civil prosecution over the fatal explosion at its Mojave, Calif. facility that killed three workers and injured three others, according to a Flight Global story. California safety officials levied citations and fines totally $28,000. The company has appealed the decision, a process which Flight Global reports could take up to a year. The appeal process would not affect any civil or criminal […]

Reporter Chris Bond looks at the current state of space tourism in this article in England’s Yorkshire Post newspaper. The article focuses mainly on Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic company, but it also includes a bold prediction from David Ashford of Bristol Spaceplanes: “My projection is that we could have one million people going into space in the next 15 years. Once the programme gets underway costs will come down […]

Audley Travel boss Craig Burkinshaw has booked a suborbital flight aboard a Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo vehicle. The head of the English travel company forked over about $200,000 to be among the first to fly aboard Sir Richard Branson’s spaceliner. There is a brief account at Travel Weekly and a more detailed Oxford Mail story. The Star also has a piece in which it quotes Craig’s proud mum Mary. You can […]

The space tourism will face high prices and skepticism from the insurance industry during its early years, according to experts at a recent high hurdles from the insurance business in its early years, according to industry experts who spoke at the Federal Aviation Administration’s annual Commercial Space Transportation Conference. Experts said that policy costs will be extremely high until a company flies safely at least three times. A string of […]

Scaled Composites is appealing $28,000 in fines levied by California safety officials relating to a July explosion last year that killed three employees and injured three others. The Bakersfield Californian has details, as does Space.com here. Neither story indicates why the company is appealing the fines, which were levied for citations alleging the company failed to adequately train workers and to maintain a safe working environment. The company has not […]

Four in 10 Americans are up for a ride in space, according to a new ABC News/Good Morning America survey. However, the price would have to drop astronomically – from $200,000 to a mere two grand. Read all about ABC’s poll here.

An animation of a SpaceShipTwo suborbital flight has been posted on YouTube.